USA, Feb 2018

👩‍🦰 USA! USA! This trip was my third to the states, and I can't get enough! I left Aaron at home and brought my friend Tareisha (T for short) along, primarily to do photoshoots but then also to have a lot of fun doing touristy stuff. And boy, did we have fun!

We started off in LA, where we spent the day at Guinness World Records (a very fun way to kill a couple of hours) before having lunch at Hard Rock Cafe (yum!) then taking a tour to see the Hollywood sign and celebrity houses. The Hollywood sign is actually a bit underwhelming because it's so far away, but it's just one of those things you have to tick off the list. The celebrity houses tour was a bit underwhelming as well - the highlight was probably seeing the Fresh Prince of Bel Air house haha!

That night we had no plans and were lucky enough to nab tickets to a sold out stand up comedy show where we got to see Mr Chau from the Hangover (aka Ken Jeong) and Good Luck Chuck (aka Dane Cook) perform as well as a few other legends. Matt Rife was actually my favourite act despite the big hitters mentioned above - and not because of his ridiculous bone structure haha!

The next day I had photoshoots, but then in the evening it was Superbowl, and we were so keen to get amongst it! We hit up Saddle Ranch in West Hollywood to watch the game and it did not disappoint. I’m not a big fan of watching sports, but the atmosphere was just so much fun, people were hyped. Add to that we had some delicious drinks - including this giant, ridiculous cotton candy cocktail - and it was a great night. I made sure to be sensible though, as the next day we were hitting up Disneyland early.

My inner child was SO psyched to hit up Disneyland! Poor T hadn’t been quite so sensible the night before and was feeling horridly hungover, so that did kill the buzz a bit, but we still hit up some rides and had a great day. My fave was Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin (because Jessica Rabbit, duh!), but there are just so many fun rides to check out. Yes there are crowds, so prepare for some long waits in the queues. Next time I would get the Disneyland app so I could see wait times on rides.

I was even MORE excited - if that is even possible - for the trip to Universal Studios Hollywood the next day. I couldn’t wait to check out The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and I seriously had butterflies as we walked into Hogsmeade. I just wish I had more baggage space so I could’ve bought all the robes and HP merch! I was squealing with excitement looking at all the famous spots - we took a tour in Ollivanders, we rode a 4D ride inside the Hogwarts castle (which looks truly amazing both inside and out!), we ate lunch at the Three Broomsticks (complete with delicious butterbeer) and we rode the Flight of the Hippogriff (which gives an awesome view of the castle and Hagrid’s hut).

I know I’m harping on about Harry Potter, but that was easily my favourite part overall. We also got to explore Springfield which was really cool even though I’m not a Simpsons fan, we watched a special effects show (very very cool, definitely make time for this if you visit!), we rode The Mummy coaster, the Jurassic Park river adventure and the Transformers ride. All very fun as well.

That night we’d scored tickets to be a part of the Ellen studio audience. We got to see Milo Ventimiglia, Dax Sheppard and Puff Daddy/P Diddy/Sean Coombs/Love/whatever he’s calling himself these days, but the actual filming itself wasn’t that great as you can hardly hear anything. Particularly if you’re in the back row (they literally put out more chairs for us to sit at the back because they were packed out) as they don’t have speakers. Still, at least I can say I’ve done it!

Viva Las Vegas! The next day we flew out for T’s birthday in Vegas and I was sooo excited as I’ve never been before since my previous 2 trips to the states were solo. That night we hit up Zombie Burlesque which didn’t live up to my expectations for a Vegas show, but was still quite funny.

Afterwards I thought we’d hit the clubs, but T decided she wanted to go back to the hotel. I’ll admit to being super disappointed, but it was her birthday so I tried not to act too peeved, even though I’d made sure not to book any morning photoshoots because I thought we’d have a wild night. Guess we’re getting old haha!

Instead of spending all the next day recovering, we hit the ground running! Mr Mamma's for breakfast.. Amazing. Fremont Street (old casino strip).. Amazing. The strip from the Palazzo to Planet Hollywood.. Amazing. Drinks on the High Roller wheel... Amazing. Magic Mike Live show..... Holy flipping abs for days AMAZING!!! I got pulled out of the crowd to be serenaded by a very handsome man on his knees and it was - you guessed it - amazing! The show itself is actually really impressive. Not only do they have dance moves but there’s acrobatics, instrumentals and a very funny female MC.

After a good night’s rest we were up bright and early to hit the Grand Canyon, approximately 2.5hr drive from Vegas. Quick pit stop at the Hoover Dam then we were back on the road. The height of it is dizzying when you’re standing on top and looking down, it is incredibly impressive.

Grand Canyon has to be seen to really appreciate the sheer size of it. I’ll admit that I wasn’t super interested/excited for this one, but I’m so glad that we decided to do it. It's so much more beautiful and awe-inspiring than photos do justice…and just a little bit scary walking literally on the edge of a 4,200+ foot drop with no barrier.

I’m not a very spiritual person, but there’s something kind of magical or mystical in the air here, you can’t get that from photos. We walked along the Sky walk at Eagle Point (glass and steel 1.2kms above the bottom really gets the heart pumping!) and walked around Guano Point as well.

We decided to be lazy and do a little horse ride along the rim of the West side of the canyon as well, and I highly recommend it. We only took a short ride (because we had some exciting plans that evening), but there are a bunch of different companies that offer different length rides right up to the edge of the canyon, or some of them even venturing down into it. My horsey was a bit headstrong though and kept stopping looking for snacks!

The 13 year old in me was in love all over again when we saw the Backstreet Boys live that night. The concert was amazing - such 90s matching outfits, cheesy choreographed dance moves and they just leaned right into the dagginess of it all, it was perfect!

What was even better was the electric atmosphere of thousands of grown-ass women devolving into children and screaming at the top of their lungs when the Backstreet Boys came out into the audience and were close enough to touch.

Buh bye Vegas, hello New Orleans! In a stroke of luck, our trip lined up with Mardi Gras, and I can honestly say that I was not prepared. The streets were absolutely wild and I’ve never seen so many adults behaving so badly in public! The atmosphere was a bit too much for me though, I’m not known for my partying ways haha! The upside was that it did mean that the streets during the daytime were fairly quiet as people were sleeping off the hangovers.

While in New Orleans, we visited the St Louis Cemetery, where an estimated 100,000 people are buried, including famous voodoo priestess Marie Laveau (tomb pictured below). It was fascinating hearing the rich history of the city, as well as the stories of some of the people that were buried there - and are yet to be buried. See the photo below of the triangle tomb where Nicholas Cage will spend his afterlife!

One of the more extravagant tombs belongs to the Italian Benevolent Society (i.e. mafia). It can house up to 2400 bodies and the marble is worth more than 4 million USD. The heads on the statues were rumored to be cut off by a very high Dennis Hopper filming a movie scene in the 60s!

The photo of the blue painted grave is one that is regularly maintained by the son of the woman who was buried in the 1970s. He is now in his 80s and comes back at least yearly to fingerpaint the grave. Such a beautiful story. You really contemplate your own mortality when you hear stories like these and wonder how you’ll be remembered when you’re gone.

For our last day in New Orleans we wandered around collecting beads (without flashing, mind you haha!) and that night we visited a jazz club in the French Quarter where T got pulled on stage to demonstrate her gangsta lean haha! Even if you’re not a huge jazz fan (I’m not, but I appreciate the artistry), visiting a jazz bar while in New Orleans is a must.

I spent the next 2 days in North Carolina shooting while T hit up Washington, then we met up in New York for the final leg of our trip. I arrived fairly late at night and it was snowing, which was just magical! I’d only ever seen snow falling from the sky once before (last time I visited New York) so it was the perfect welcome. Mind you, it was only 1 degree on first night too eeek!

We went ice skating the next day in Central Park and even though we sucked at it, it was just unreal. Walking around the park with the snow on the ground felt so magical, I get butterflies just thinking about it while looking back at the photos.

All touristy things aside (including the breathtaking views from Emipre State Building at night, see the photos below), the Drama Major theatre nerd in me went nuts over Broadway! While in NYC we saw 5 different shows: Kinky Boots (amazing), Sweeney Todd immersive theatre show (pretty good), Book of Mormon (I liked it but think my expectations were too high from everyone raving about it), Lion King (brilliant) and Anastasia (also great!).

I would honestly spend the whole time in NYC watching theatre shows if I could, but I tell you what, the ticket prices really do start to add up fast! We also got ourselves sketched by a street artist, and I almost cried laughing when I saw it finished - I asked him to draw me as Jessica Rabbit, but I forgot to take my beanie off hahaha!

I haven’t done a whole lot of international travel, but I can easily say that I’d happily return to America in a heartbeat. I still feel like there’s so much that I’ve yet to experience (the midwest and Texas, for example!) that would just be a totally different version of America than the pieces of it i’ve seen so far.

Despite what I’ve heard about Americans being arrogant, I find the people there to be so lovely and welcoming - although some New Yorkers are definitely a bit intimidating! America really is a special country, and one I can’t wait to revisit, next time with Aaron by my side, hopefully.